Robert Charles Bell (born 10 April 1958 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a former Formula One engineer and technical director, best known for his work with the Renault Formula One team. Bell attended Queen's University in Belfast, gaining a doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering. before joining

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...

in 1982 and worked as the company aerodynamicist until 1988, when he was promoted to head of research and development for the next two years. In 1997, Bell moved to the Benetton Formula team, working there with Nick Wirth. He worked as the Senior Aerodynamicist at Benetton until 1999, when he went to the Jordan Grand Prix team joining them as the head of vehicle technology, after being invited by his former

colleague

Mike Gascoyne Michael Robert Gascoyne (born 2 April 1963) is a British Formula One designer and engineer. Gascoyne has worked for numerous Grand Prix teams including McLaren, Sauber, Tyrrell, Jordan (later known as Midland F1, Spyker, Force India, Racing P ...

. Both left Jordan for Renault F1 and in 2001, Bell was appointed the deputy technical director at the Enstone team, becoming the technical director in 2003 when

departed to join the Toyota F1 team. Bell was Renault F1's technical director during the hugely successful 2005 and 2006 seasons, in which his

R25 R25 may refer to: Automobiles * BMW R25, a German motorcycle * Renault 25, a French executive car * Renault R25, a Formula One car * Yamaha YZF-R25, a Japanese motorcycle Aviation * British Airship ''R25'', a training airship * Rubik R-25 ...

and R26 won both the Drivers' and the Constructor's championships. The next two seasons saw very few good results, and his projects dropped in the Constructor's championship to fourth place in 2007 and 2008. After the resignations of

Flavio Briatore Flavio Briatore (; born 12 April 1950) is an Italian businessman. He started his career as a restaurant manager and insurance salesman in Italy. Briatore was convicted in Italy on several fraud charges in the 1980s, receiving two prison senten ...

and Pat Symonds in relation to the Renault Formula One crash controversy, Bell was appointed acting team principal for the rest of 2009, on September 23, 2009. For the 2010 season, Bell held the position of managing director for the Renault team until leaving the team on October 6, 2010. On 18 February 2011, Bell was appointed as the new technical director of

Mercedes GP Mercedes-Benz, a brand of the Mercedes-Benz Group, has been involved in Formula One as both team owner and engine manufacturer for various periods since 1954. The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, which is based in Brackley, England, and possesses ...

, effective of 1 April 2011. On 14 April 2014, Mercedes announced that Bell had resigned his position in December 2013 and would be leaving the team in November 2014. Prior to the 2015 ,

Manor Marussia The Marussia F1 Team (subsequently Manor Marussia F1 Team) was a Formula One racing team and constructor which was based in Banbury, Oxfordshire and then later Dinnington, South Yorkshire in the United Kingdom and competed with a Russian lice ...

announced the recruitment of Bell as technical consultant. On 3 February 2016, Bell was announced as the chief technical officer at the newly created Renault Sport F1 Team, with the

Renault R.S.16 The Renault R.S.16 (originally known as Lotus E24 Hybrid) was a Formula One racing car designed by the Renault Sport Formula One Team to compete in the 2016 Formula One season, and marked Renault's return to the sport as a constructor after a fi ...

car. He worked at the Renault team for two years, before stepping away from the team in 2018, becoming a part-time advisor. This came after a 36-year career in Formula One.

References

External links

Bob Bell profile on Renault F1 website
1958 births Living people Sportspeople from Belfast Aerodynamicists Formula One designers Renault people McLaren people {{F1-bio-stub